IN THE RACE FOR THE NL WEST ARE THE PADRES
GAINING GROUND?

Until three months ago, the answer to the following question seemed clearer and even cautiously optimistic for Padres fans.

Are the Padres gaining ground on their rivals in the National League West?

Certainly, the Padres have been making progress in some areas.

Since the 2010 season, the Padres’ payroll budget has increased 57 percent from an embarrassingly low figure of $37 million to a still-lower-echelon mark of around $58 million this season.

And since 2009, the Padres’ farm system has gone from being one of the weakest in the major leagues to being ranked among the top two organizations in a consensus of surveys that rank minor league systems.

Even if the measure is in baby steps, the Padres seemed to be gaining on their division rivals.

Then, the other shoe fell.

Jeff Moorad resigned as Padres CEO as it became apparent that Major League Baseball was never going to approve his group’s purchase of the club under its current management and financial structure.

As the end of spring training approaches, Padres ownership is once again in turmoil.

John Moores remains in control of the Padres with a 51 percent ownership share. Club President Tom Garfinkel has become interim CEO, a move that could have been made only with Moores’ blessing.

So, where do the Padres go from here?

Does Moores again sell the Padres? The first time he put the club up for sale, while in the midst of a messy divorce, he trimmed the payroll from $75 million to $44 million over the course of one winter.

Does he retain control and return as an active owner? That seems unlikely, but remember, under Moores the Padres went to one World Series, won four National League West titles and got Petco Park built.

Either way, what becomes of the 2012 Padres? And what happens to the gains made the past three years with Moorad in control?

Will present leadership remain, or will it follow Moorad out the door? And will the Padres continue to follow their present path of building through the farm system while gradually — and many would say painfully too slowly — boosting the payroll?

And just where do the Padres stack up against the rest of the National League West — both this year and into the future?

“I like what we are doing,” Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes said recently. “We’re making gains on two fronts. I think we’ve improved this season’s team over last season’s and I think we’re nicely positioned for the future.”

When Byrnes looks at the Padres system, he can identify nine position players and seven pitchers with no major league experience who should be with the Padres in 2014.

The question is, will Byrnes?

Byrnes was hand-picked by Moorad to be GM in October when Jed Hoyer was all but told to leave San Diego for the same job with the Chicago Cubs. The Byrnes-Moorad relationship goes back to their days in Arizona.